The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargonium×hortorum known by the commercial names ‘pacR Antik Violet, Tikvio(s) and pacR Pillar Violet, Tikvio(s) (Breeder No. P-6138). The new variety was discovered in 1996 in a selected breeding program in Dresden, Germany. The new variety is a selection a population of seedlings resulting from breeding and crossing of diploid group 95K-37. The new variety is vigorous with long internodes similar to the plants of its heritage but differs in its bright violet flower color. The new variety was first asexually reproduced by cuttings in Dresden, Germany. The new variety has been trial and field tested at Connellsville and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations.
The new variety is comparable to ‘Tikorg’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/753,976) but has less branching, violet flower color instead of orange and is hairier.
The cultivar, when grown in a glass greenhouse in Connellsville, Pa. using natural light and temperatures of 60° F. night and 68° F. day, has a response time of six weeks from a rooted cutting to flowering in a 2 inch pot and a response time of 10-12 weeks to a saleable pillar product. The response time was determined on plants grown in soilless media employing constant fertilizer 200-250 parts per million of nitrogen and potassium in full light.